Keyless car theft is on the rise! See how you can prevent your car being stolen.
From 2014-2019 we have witnessed a 48.7% increase in the number of cars being stolen through keyless car theft.
Experts have linked these numbers to police officer cut-backs and the rising popularity of keyless entry and go systems.
The process criminals use to steal a car via keyless theft, known as relay theft is quite simple. Although this task requires quite high tech gadgets to execute the crime.
The car thief only needs a relay amplifier and relay transmitter, which can be purchased on the darker corners of the web.
Next, the car thief will identify a house with a nice car parked outside, and using these gadgets they can detect whether the car features keyless entry and start.
One criminal then stands by the car with the transmitter, while a second person waves the amplifier around the perimeter of the house.
If the car key is close enough to the amplifier, it will detect the signal and send it to the transmitter.
The transmitter then becomes the car key, by tricking the car into thinking the real key is nearby.
This process sounds longwinded, but a good criminal can make this process happen in under 60 seconds!
Minimise your risk of getting your car stolen by doing the following…
- Keep your car keys away from windows and doors
- Double-check that you’ve locked your car!
- Park your car in a garage
- Keep your keys in a metal box
- If your key has the on/off function, turn it off
- Use a steering wheel lock, driveway parking posts or a wheel clamp
- Use a tracking device
- Buy a Faraday pouch (signal blocker)
- Install CCTV
- Keep your car software up to date